Scaffold



Nov. l0, 1964 w. s. LUNDEEN 3,156,317

scAFFoLD Filed Aug. 26, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l co un O ro N N g g N\ E m1| N N 1' W N 1' Si N H5? I: N I

m g g h 'n f c D 'r s- H l Q S E 2S E c5 E INVENTOR.

WARNER S, LUNDEEN ATTORNE YS;

Nov. 10, 1964 w. s. LUNDI-:EN

SCAFF'OLD 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26, 1963 FIG. 4

FIG. 3

INVENTOR. WARNER S. LUNDEEN BY 49W/ @5a/f .Qf/WN ATTORNEYS.

Nov. l0, 1964 w. s. LUNDEEN 3,156,317

scAFFoLD Filed Aug` 26, 1963 .3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 6

' INVENTOR. WARNER S. LUNDEEN A TTORNE Yi United States Patent O3,156,317 SCAFFOLD Warner S. Lundeen, 4'23 East Ave., Holdrege, Nebr.Filed Aug. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 304,386 3 Claims. (Cl. 182-16) Thisinvention relates to an improved scaffold, and more particularly to alight-weight, portable, vertically adjustable scaffold.

The scaffold of the present invention comprises, essentially, agenerally rectangular shaped base of tubular construction, said basehaving a pair of wheels at one end thereof and vertically adjustablelegs at three corners of the base to provide stability when the scaffoldis in the operative position. A pair of spaced vertical support membersare secured to the base and a platform or walkboard, having meansactuated by the operator for raising and lowering the platform to`desired height, is slidably mounted on the vertical support members,Ione of said support members being provided with a trailer-hitch,whereby the scaffold can be easily transported. The platform is alsoprovided with a vertically adjustable railing having a bucket holderslidably mounted thereon.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved light-weight,portable scaffold.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved portablescaffold having vertically adjustable legs to stabilize the scaffoldwhen in an Aoperative position and lever means for either tilting thescaffold while adjusting the legs or to maneuver the scaffold at the jobsite.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved portablescaffold having trailer hitch means for attaching the scaffold to avehicle whereby the scaffold may be easily transported.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved portablescaffold having a vertically adjustable platform and means actuated bythe operator for raising and lowering the platform to a desired height.

A further object of the invention is to provide a scaffold platform witha vertically adjustable railing having a bucket holder slidably mountedthereon.

With these and other objects in view, which may be incident to myimprovements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to behereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theseveral necessary elements comprising my invention, may be varied inconstruction, proportions and arrangements, without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect, without limiting the improvements in .their useful applicationto the particular constructions which, for the purpose of explanation,have been made the subject Vof illustration.

ln the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the portable scaffold of the presentinvention showing the platform in the lowermost position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the scaffold similar to FIG. l.;however, showing vthe platform in .a raised position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the scaffold;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FlG. 5 is a view taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the scaffold attached to a vehiclefor transporting the scaffold.

Referring to the drawings, land more particularly to FIGS. l, 2 and 6,the scaffold of the present invention comprises a rectangular shapedbase 1 formed by a pair of parallel, spaced tubular members 2 and 3rigidly secured to the ends of and extending transversely to anotherpair of parallel, spaced tubular members 4 and 5.

Wheels 6 and '7 are rotatably mounted on each end of the tubular member2 to facilitate the transportation of the scaffold, to be described morefully hereinafter, and adjustable legs S are provided at each end of thetubular member 3 and on the tubular member S in proximity to the wheel7, whereby the scaffold maybe stabilized when in an operative position.

As will be seen in FIG. 3, each of the legs 8 comprises a sleeve 9rigidly secured to the tubular member 3 and having a shaft l@ slidablymounted therein, the lower end of the -shaft being provided with la flatplate member il forming a foot for the leg. Each of the sleeves isprovided with a dog 12 threadably received therein, the end of said doggrippingly engaging the shaft when tightened to thereby hold the shaftand associated plate in an adjusted position.

In order that the scaffold may be tilted to either adjust the legs or tomanually move the scaffold at the job site, a handle 13 is providedcomprising a rod 14 slidably mounted in a sleeve 15 which is rigidlysecured to a vertically extending tubular member 16 carried by thetubular member 3, a pair of convergent frame members i7 having theirdivergent ends secured to the tubular members 4 and 5 are also providedto further support the sleeve l5. By this construction and arrangement,when it is desired to maneuver the scaffold, the rod i4 can be pulledoutwardly to a position shown in FIGS. l and 2, and when transportingthe scaffold the rod 14 can be pushed inwardly to an out-of-the wayposition as illustrated in FlG. 6.

The superstructure of the scaffold comprises a pair of parallelvertically extending tubular members i8 and i9 having their lower endsinserted within socket members Ztl and 21 rigidly secured to the tubularmembers 2 and 3, respectively; the socket members being provided withset screws or other -suitable securing means for locking the ends of thetubular members within the sockets. The upper ends of the verticallyextending members i8, i9 are rigidly connected together by a transversetubular member 22, and guy wires 23 are provided which extend from theupper ends of the tubular members f8 and l@ to the outer ends of thetubular members 2 and 3, and to Vthe diagonally opposite socket members2d and 2l, the lower ends of the guy wires having turnbuckles 24 foradjusting the tension of the wires.

The platform assembly for the scaffold comprises a pair of tubularsleeves 25 and 26 slidably mounted on the vertically extending tubularmembers 18 and 19, respectively, each of the tubular sleeves beingprovided with a dog 27 (FG. 5) threadably received therein for lockingthe sleeves relative to the respective vertical tubular member tothereby maintain the platform at a desired height, to be described morefully hereinafter. Each of the sleeves is provided with a bracket memberrigidly secured thereto for supporting a platform 29 at each endthereof, the platform being provided with spaced, angle-iron members 30for reenforcing the platform. As will be Vseen in FIG. 6, the endportions of the two angle iron members on each sides of the intermediateangle irons project outwardly beyond the edge of the platform to providea support for a pair of tubular sleeves 3l (FIG. 3) rigidly securedthereto. The platform 29 is further provided with a railing 32comprising a pair of vertical tubular members 33 adjustably mountedwithin the sleeves 31 and adapted to be held in an adjusted position bymeans of dogs 34 threadably mounted within the sleeves. The upper endportions of the railing vertical members are interconnected by a pair ofspaced, parallel, horizontally disposed tubular members 35 which form atrack for a receptacle holder 36 having a tubular portions 37 slidablymounted on the horizontal member 35. By this construction andarrangement the height of the railing can be selectively adjustedrelative to the platform and the receptacle holder carrying, forinstance a bucket of paint, can be moved in a horizontal direction bysliding the holder along the horizontal members of the railing, wherebythe paint bucket is at a proper height for easy use by the painter andany possibility of the paint bucket being turned over or coming looseduring use or when the height of the platform is being adjusted isprecluded.

in order to raise and lower the platform 29, a rotatable shaft 3S isjournalled at each end thereof within a cylindrical bearing member 39(FiG. 5) secured to the sleeves 25 and 26, the end of the shaft adjacentthe sleeve 25 having a spoked wheel 4t) secured thereto for manuallyrotating the shaft 3d. A pair of cables 4l are provided, each of saidcables having one end connected to the upper end portion of the tubularmembers i8 and 19, and the opposite end connected to the shaft 3S as at42, whereby when the wheel d@ is turned to rotate the shaft 33 thecables il become wound thereon to thereby lift platform 29 to thedesired height, as will be seen in FiG. 2. The diameter of the wheel isof such a dimension so as to provide adequate leverage for raising andlowering the platform and by providing a wheel, rather than a crank, ifthe operator should happen to lose his grip, he can easily grab theturning wheel on the circumferential surface thereof without endangeringhimself.

As will be seen in FIG. 5, a detent member 43 is provided comprising apin 44 slidably mounted within a tube 4S secured to the sleeve 26,whereby when the pin is moved to the extended position it engages one ofthe spokes of the wheel fst) to thereby prevent the wheel from turning,and when the pin 4d is moved to the dotted line position the wheel isreleased so that the platform may be either raised or lowered. inconnection with the use of the detent member d3, normally the detent isadequate to hold the platform at the desired height; however, when theplatform is being used to support extreme weight, or as an added safetyfactor, the dogs 27 can also be employed to lock the sleeves 25 and 26at an adjusted position relative to the tubular members iti and 19.

A ladder d6 comprising a vertically extending support member d'7 havinga plurality of transversely extending rungs 48 secured thereto ismounted adjacent the tubular member l and is maintained in spaced,parallel relationship with respect to the tubular member by means ofstrut members 49 and Sti carried by the upper and lower end portions ofsupport member 47 and rigidly secured to the upper end portion of thetubular rncmber 19 and to the socket member 2l, respectively. As will beseen in FlGS. 2 and 4, an additional strut S is provided between thesleeve 26 and the ladder support member 47, and comprises a pair ofspaced, parallel arms 52, each having one end rigidly secured to thesleeve 25 and the opposite end being in proximity to the side face ofthe support member 47, the arms also being interconnected by atransversely extending bearing member S3 mounted between the arms 52 inproximity to the edge of the support member. By this construction andarrangement, when the platform is being raised or lowered, the strut Sislides along the ladder support member i7 to thereby prevent the sleeve26 from turning about tubular member i9, whereby the wheel itl andassociated shaft 33 are maintained in proper alignment with respect tothe ladder and the tubular members i8 and 319.

One of the main features of the present invention is the ease by whichthe scaffold can be transported from place to place withoutdisassembling it; this is accomplished by providing the upper endportion of tubular member 13 with a trailer hitch 54 adapted to be con-4 nected to the rear bumper of vehicle 5S as shown in FIG. 6.

In the operation of the scaffold, after it has been transported to theplace to be used, it is erected to a position as shown in FG. 1. Thehandle i3 is pulled outwardly to provide a lever whereby the scaffoldmay be lifted to adjust the legs 3 to level the scaffold or to manuallymove the scaffold at the job site. The operator, while climbing theladder 46, turns the wheel dil to lift the platform 29 to the desiredheight, as shown in FIG. 2. The detent 43 is then extended to engage oneof the spokes of wheel 4t), and if desired, the dogs 27 are tighened.The height of the railing 32 can then be adjusted by means of dogs 34and the receptacle holder 36 can be used as described hereinabove.

There has been described and illustrated a device capable of performingall of the specifically mentioned objects of this invention as well asothers which are apparent to those skilled in the art. Various uses ofthe present invention may be made employing the described structure.Accordingly, it is apparent that variations as to operation, size andshape, and rearrangement of elements may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. Accordingly, limitation is sought only inaccordance with the scope of the following claims.

l claim:

l. A transportable scaffold of the character described comprising asubstantially rectangular base, a pair of Wheels rotatively mounted onone end of said base at the corners thereof, adjustable legs mountedupon the corners of said base, a platform support unit secured to saidbase and extending vertically therefrom, said platform support unitincluding a first elongated tubular support member having one endsecured to said base at a point centrally of said Wheels, a secondelongated tubular support member mounted substantially parallel to saidiirst support member at the opposite end of said base, and a transversesupport bar secured to said first and second support members andextending horizontally therebetween, a platform assembly includingsupport sleeve units slidably mounted upon said first and second supportmembers, said support sleeve units including means to engage saidsupport members to lock said support sleeve units thereto, a platformsecured to each of said support sleeve units and extending substantiallybetween said tirst and second support members, means operably connectedto and movable with said platform for raising and lowering said platformrelative to said first and second support members, said raising andlowering means including a rotatable shaft spaced above said platformand journaled at each end to said support sleeves, cable means havingone end attached to the upper portion of said platform support unitabove said platform and an opposite end secured to said shaft, a wheelsecured to one end of said shaft to facilitate the manual rotationthereof, detent means mounted upon one of said support sleeves adjacentsaid wheel, said detent means adapted to engage the wheel to lock saidwheel at a desired position, and a trailer hitch secured to the upperend of said first support member.

2. A transportable scaffold of the character described comprising asubstantially rectangular base, a pair of wheels rotatively mounted onone end of said base at the corners thereof, adjustable legs mountedupon three corners of said base, each such leg including a sleeverigidly secured to said base, a shaft having a lower end terminatingwith a fiat plate extending below said base, said shaft being mountedfor vertical sliding movement within said sleeve, and locking means onsaid sleeve for locking said shaft in an adjusted position within saidsleeve, a platform support unit secured to said base and extendingvertically therefrom, said platform support unit including a firstelongated tubular support member having one end secured to said base ata point centrally of said wheels, a second elongated tubular supportmember mounted substantially parallel to said irst support member at theopposite end of said base, said second support member being of shorterlength than said first support member, and a transverse support barsecured to said first and second support members and extendinghorizontally between the terminal ends of said 'second support memberand a point on said iirst support member, a platform assembly includingsupport sleeve units slidably mounted upon said rst and second supportmembers, said support sleeve units including means to engage saidsupport members to lock said support sleeve units there to, a platformsecured to each of said support sleeve units and extending substantiallybetween said rst and second support members, means operably connected toand movable with said platform for raising and lowering said platformrelative to said irst and second support members, said raising andlowering means including a rotatable shaft spaced above said platformand journaled at each end to said support sleeves, cable means havingone end attached to the upper portion of said platform support unitabove said platform and an opposite end secured to said shaft, a spokedwheel secured to one end of said shaft to facilitate the manual rotationthereof, detent means mounted upon one of said support sleeves adjacentsaid wheel, said detent means adapted to engage the spokes of said wheelto lock said Wheel at a desired position, a vertically extending laddermounted adjacent one of said support members and secured thereto at eachend thereof, ladder aligning means attached to the support sleeveadjacent said ladder, said ladder aligning means being movable with saidsupport sleeve and including spaced strut members for engaging andlaterally contining said ladder, a handle slidably mounted upon saidbase, and a trailer hitch -secured to the upper end of said rst supportmember, said trailer hitch being positioned upon said first supportmember at the terminal end portion thereof outwardly of said transversesupport bar.

3. A transportable scalold according to claim 2, wherein the platform isprovided with a railing, said railing comprising a pair of spacedvertically extending members adjustably mounted on said platform formovement in a vertical plane, and a transversely extending memberconnected between the upper ends of said vertically extending members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 415,667 11/89Edwards 182-17 1,004,689 10/11 Raymer 182-144 1,168,868 1/16 Ericsson182-116 2,046,516 7/36 Johnson 182-16 2,798,652 7/57 Easton 182-1292,890,082 6/ 59 McDaniel 182-144 2,972,392 2/ 61 Kurvers 182--148HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

1. A TRANSPORTABLE SCAFFOLD OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING ASUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BASE, A PAIR OF WHEELS ROTATIVELY MOUNTED ONONE END OF SAID BASE AT THE CORNERS THEREOF, ADJUSTABLE LEGS MOUNTEDUPON THE CORNERS OF SAID BASE, A PLATFORM SUPPORT UNIT SECURED TO SAIDBASE AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY THEREFROM, SAID PLATFORM SUPPORT UNITINCLUDING A FIRST ELONGATED TUBULAR SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING ONE ENDSECURED TO SAID BASE AT A POINT CENTRALLY OF SAID WHEELS, A SECONDELONGATED TUBULAR SUPPORT MEMBER MOUNTED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAIDFIRST SUPPORT MEMBER AT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BASE, AND A TRANSVERSESUPPORT BAR SECURED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS ANDEXTENDING HORIZONTALLY THEREBETWEEN, A PLATFORM ASSEMBLY INCLUDINGSUPPORT SLEEVE UNITS SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORTMEMBERS, SAID SUPPORT SLEEVE UNITS INCLUDING MEANS TO ENGAGE SAIDSUPPORT MEMBERS TO LOCK SAID SUPPORT SLEEVE UNITS THERETO, A PLATFORMSECURED TO EACH OF SAID SUPPORT SLEEVE UNITS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLYBETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS, MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTEDTO AND MOVABLE WITH SAID PLATFORM FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID PLATFORMRELATIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID RAISING ANDLOWERING MEANS INCLUDING A ROTATABLE SHAFT SPACED ABOVE SAID PLATFORMAND JOURNALED AT EACH END TO SAID SUPPORT SLEEVES, CABLE MEANS HAVINGONE END ATTACHED TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PLATFORM SUPPORT UNITABOVE SAID PLATFORM AND AN OPPOSITE END SECURED TO SAID SHAFT, A WHEELSECURED TO ONE END OF SAID SHAFT TO FACILITATE THE MANUAL ROTATIONTHEREOF, DETENT MEANS MOUNTED UPON ONE OF SAID SUPPORT SLEEVES ADJACENTSAID WHEEL, SAID DETENT MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE WHEEL TO LOCK SAIDWHEEL AT A DESIRED POSITION, AND A TRAILER HITCH SECURED TO THE UPPEREND OF SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER.